How You Know Her: The 27-year-old platinum blonde stunner found her niche in Hollywood playing a hyper-sexualized teen in the 2004 film Friday Night Lights, followed by steamy roles in Pineapple Express, Zombieland, and The Rum Diary.
What You Don't Know: After dropping out of high school in Austin, Texas at 17, Heard crossed the country, eager to get in front of the camera. When a modeling stint in New York didn't pan out, she headed back West to L.A., where she cut her teeth on the Friday Night Lights set. But not having a high school diploma didn't stop her from becoming something of a philosophy buff who's comfortable name-dropping 12th-century Persian polymath Omar Khayyam and the comparatively ancient Jewish-Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza.
Extra credit: Six years after landing her first big acting gig, Heard publicly came out at GLAAD's 25th anniversary event. When asked about her sexuality she's said, "I don't label myself one way or another—I have had successful relationships with men and now a woman. I love who I love; it's the person that matters."
Current Project: Heard stars in Paranoia (out this week) as a small-town nurse (fingers crossed that Heard's talent is put to use as an actual medical expert) who goes on a blind date with a mysterious man. Mystery and intrigue abound. Nick Nolte, Shiloh Fernandez, and Rosamund Pike also star.
For more Amber, see our interview with Amber Heard.
—Dayna Clark. Follow her at @DaynaMichele.